Harvest Moon 2005

[PilotKitten]

... The autumnal scents of gladiola, chrysanthemum, aster, dahlia, anemone, bergamot, marigold, sage and verbena dust a blend of wine-soaked apples, plums, and red pears, mulling spices and brown sugar, the ivy leaves of Dionysus and Janus’ amaranth and lingum aloe.

Wow, such a spicy floral… not like a Middle Eastern spicy though… more like a fall pumpkin pie spicy. This actually reminds me a lot of a perfume my grandmother used to wear. Sort of a white musky floral. I get a lot of the floral and perhaps a hint of the wine but no fruits yet. This is such an incredible scent though… wow, I hope the bottle of Harvest Moon 2006 I ordered is just as good, because this is wonderful and I’m slightly disheartened that I cannot have a whole bottle. I shall have to keep an eye out in the swaps section for more imps to horde though. < nods >

[terrierhead]

I'm trying last year's HM for the first time today, after receiving it in a swap last winter. Because I'm odd about LE's - what if I fall in love and can never get more?

 

I get spiced apples, cider and very little else. It's yummy and autumnal, but no worries that I'll go out of my mind trying to find more of it. I'm saving my imp to use up when cooler weather comes.

[princessbeena]

I was sssooooo happy to win a bottle of this on an ebay action. I guess I was expecting something fruity due to the apple in the description but all I got was a cinnamon poutporri scent. Not a favorite of mine...it would be nice as a room scent...but I think what turned me off was my boyfriend telling me I smelled like his grandma's bathroom when he smelled it on me

[sarahj]

Harvest Moon 2005

 

received in a swap

 

in imp: apple-y goodness with a hint of plum

 

wet: sage, verbena, and florals start to take over

 

dry: apples and florals

 

verdict: nice...I'm glad that I tried an imp of this, but not upset that I missed out on a bottle

[hologhost]

In the bottle: This is the apple scent of my BPAL dreams. Sweet, with a shot of spice.

 

On me: it stays a nice apple cider scent, with a small floral kick to make it more of a scent for perfume and less something to drink.

[lilfaerywingz]

I was really looking forward to this imp....

 

On me: only smell sunflowers, sage and grapes, and also a slight smell of urine

 

[nancybridget]

A lovely, spicy pumpkin-ish one. It's a little bit frosty, and thankfully lacks the yankee candle effect I had feared.

[supremegoddessofall]

Tried this at a meet and sniff. Spicy woods and apple cider. Very autumnal, and I want more.

[likie]

In bottle: First of all, doesn't this just sound delicious? But from BPAL, what doesn't, right? Anyway. Bit fruity, apples, pears and all that. A bit of plant-y scent is over it ('dust' is a good word for the relationship between the two).

 

Wet: Mulling spices yes! Oh, nice. Kind of musky now, not unlike my oh-so-lovely Perversion (which I believe is characterized by tonka). The base is warm and sweet and comforting.

 

Dry: Essentially what it was wet, but somewhat muted. Still very lovely, and great with that swath of spice covering the top.

[Lionesse]

I tried Harvest Moon 2005 yesterday. In the bottle, I smell pears, and spice. On my skin, its a bit more fruity, but not overwhelmingly so. Its a very light, cheery, crisp scent. And it lasted most of the day.

 

While I liked this moon, I prefer Harvest Moon 2006 for a "fall" scent.

[lightgatherer]

Starts off with a bit of the florals (I wasn't able to distinguish any individual floral notes) and then becomes just the mulling spices with a heavy overlay of the wine and fruits. This is so lovely on me. Unfortunately, it wears off rather quickly. I'd love a bottle of this so I can reapply it greedily.

[stellans]

I was a bit apprehensive about this Lunacy because I don't care for foody scents very much, and apple mostly smells far too sweet on me. But this Harvest '05...oh, it's just wonderful! The floral notes blend so gently with the apple, there's not a food sense to this oil at all...just a lovely, lovely scent which carried me off to a deep sleep with pleasant dreams.

 

In the imp: Sweet, fruity, mellow, some floral but not much.

 

Wet on skin: An ecstacy of flowery apple goodness which makes me close my eyes and sigh, it's that nice.

 

Dry: Still good, still mellow, not too sweet. This is a great scent to sleep by, and though I still like Snow Moon the best, this definitely going on my favorite lunacy list.

 

Verdict: I'd like to find another bottle so I won't run out too soon. And, I almost forgot: this is the 2005 formula...

Edited March 20, 2009 by stellans

[emzebel]

Somehow, despite taking down a very detailed review of this blend in my little scent notebook, I failed to ever actually type it up - so here, is my review of HM2005, which is weighed heavily against 2004 (but not against 06)...

 

Spicy apple cider with a hint of mulled wine and florals - generally - smells like something familiar that smells good, but is hard to place. This is lighter and much less floral than '04, and does not have the thick buttery note that one had.

 

On drydown, the apples fade quite a bit, leaving a soft, dry floral, like drying leaves.

[LadyBug]

This has a spicy apple scent! The pears are an after-smell that kind of linger in your nose beautifully. Even though this should be more of a fall scent...I would wear it any time of the year! I really like this and would consider a bottle or a couple more imps at least!

[Honeygirl]

Bottle: Citrus, oddly enough

 

Wet: Yumm, apples and brown sugar. Maybe a touch of citrus.

 

Drydown: The citrus fades leaving a gorgeous apple and brown sugar scent. Kinda like apple crisp.

4 outta 5.

[metaldog32]

So I fell in love with the 2006 version and then made it my mission in life to try and get all other versions; I have been lucky-I was able to get the 2005 and 2004 versions from lovely forumites.

 

Initial sniff from bottle: This does smell like wine soaked fruit and sweetness..brown sugar maybe??? Definitely harvest-like..very autumnal to me. I quite like it.

 

Applied wet on skin: Fruity..must be the apples/plums/pears..but they aren’t as fresh as the 2006 version..they definitely have been steeping in something..yet it doesn’t come across as “boozy” or anything like that….just that it has depth. Am not sure if I am registering the flowers or herbs..but I know that I do register the mulling spices/brown sugar and of course..the fruit.

 

Couple of minutes on skin:Still the fruit..but it’s softened some….the sage and maybe the ivy I get at the tail end. Hope this lasts a bit longer..I really like the version..please don’t go away!!!

 

Ten minutes later:Very much softened..just very soft waft of the fruit and the foliage..again..not really registering the florals. This stays very close to the skin on me…not much throw at all.

 

Twenty minutes later:Sweetness…a whisper of the fruit that was there in the beginning…..please, please, PLEASE stay!!!

 

Drydown: Same as above

Lasting power alas wasn’t meant to be..within an hour and a half HM 2005 was just a memory on me…sigh…

 

Bottom Line: I loved Harvest Moon 2005 while it lasted..I just wish it lasted longer. I think it’s perfect for late summer and early fall..now to somehow layer it so that it anchors the fragrance a bit more to me..silly skin chemistry.

 

Dabbing on some more now…

[puck_nc]

Okay, how could I have missed posting a review of one of my favorite autumn scents?

 

Origin: Straight from the Lab

 

Initial Thoughts: At the time I was still fairly new to BPAL and still learning what I like and what works on me. I think I just remember seeing the incredible list of notes and thinking, "Wow, I gotta try this!"

 

In the Bottle: Autumn spices! A rich, sweet brown scent that immediately made me think of baking for the holiday dinners.

 

Wet: Rich, fruity and herby. Like walking through a farmers' market after the chill has taken a firm grip on the air and all the harvest is there to choose from.

 

Drydown: The florals come out to play, as do the spices. I feel like I'm smelling cider-dipped flowers and it's gorgeous.

 

Verdict: This has been a favorite of mine for the last two autumns and I've been reaching for it again this year as the mornings began to cool off and promise that yes, summer will end. I may have to start trolling the forums and eBay for a backup bottle sometime soon.

[greymatter]

I really enjoyed this one. It's mulled cider and autumn leaves and a hint of Thanksgiving baking in the background. Wet to dry, it doesn't change much on me. Just sweet and fantastic and perfect for the season.

[donnatron]

Bottle: I get a light, bright scent that almost smells commercial. Or at least it smells like what you wish commercial perfumes smelled like.

 

Wet: Tropical fruit, apple and a general "perfume" undercurrent.

 

Dry: A mild, crisp spicy scent layered over a juicy fruit and some light florals. Very complex but not dense. As a spice nut, I can see myself using this during the summer, as it's got the type of notes I love but won't overwhelm on a hot day.

 

Throw: Mild. I tried it on my right wrist when I opened the package and it was gone within a few hours.

 

Overall: I'm glad I took a risk on this. This will be gorgeous on warmer days.

[SarahScent44]

In the imp, this is very rich, very complex - I get the fruits way, way in the back but the forefront is very woodsy/herbal: ivy, amaranth, sage.

 

On my skin, the mulling spices come way up - the apple and pears come up, amid a bouquet of flowers.

 

When it dries, it's really nice, sort of a quintessential autumn scent - light spice, rich fruit, warm florals.

[Mordath]

In the bottle and on my skin this is amazing warm spiced cider, with a little bit of something (plum?) adding some depth and extra sweetness to the mix. It only lasts a couple of hours, sadly, but those are glorious hours.

[zankoku_zen]

Honestly, I get a very strong apple note from this one, and yes, it does put me in mind of a fall version of Mabon. In fact, I'd say this one is more of a Mabon like scent than Fearful Pleasure. And out of all the Harvest Moon versions, this has got to be my favorite.

 

Take Mabon and add L'Autunno and this is what you get.

[RaeiNarcissus]

This was one of those scents where the notes sounded perfect and they hit my skin chemistry and went WHAT IS THIS!!! NO!!!!! And there was death of lovely scent.

[asciident]

Wet: Floral, spicy.

 

First on: Same. Kind of nondescript.

 

Dry: Faded away completely.

[Tess]

In the bottle - Oh, interesting! Very much like fruit with white wine by a bouquet of late summer blossoms. Apples are really at the front, but it's blended very nicely.

 

Wet - A sudden shot of apple that immediately waves away.

 

Drying - I'm at a loss to explain what this is becoming on me. It smells very warm, with the florals being at the front, but there's almost no "front" to it. It's very soft and subtle. If I get too close to my wrist, the scent goes Queen of Clubs on me, rotten florals, only with fruit added to the mix. As time is wearing on, it's getting more and more like that. It's... giving me a headache.

 

Dry (2 hours) - Okay, it mellowed out to just about nothing but floral, but it's still headache inducing. It's hard to to pick out which florals exactly while in pain.

 

Overall - This is nice in the vial, but my gods, my skin did terrible things with it.